Balsamic Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

You guys! I am so excited to tell you about a partnership that we have entered into with Queen Creek Olive Mill, the coolest destination olive mill in Arizona. If you haven’t been to Queen Creek Olive Mill or used one of their products, let me just say, prepare to be amazed. I discovered this awesome place while visiting my in-laws a few years ago. I was amazed by both the quality and the sheer selection of their olive oils and vinegars. So much goodness! So many ideas for great foodie creations! Like this Balsamic Strawberry Lemon Shortcake!I’m obligated to let you know we are being compensated for this post, but trust me, both Holly and I were using Queen Creek Olive Mill’s products loooonnnng before our sponsorship so don’t worry, all of these views are completely are own! The good news is, we are partnering for a few posts in the future, so you will be seeing this awesome company again. (You might want to check them out, hint, hint!).

If you live in Arizona or are visiting there any time soon, this is a place you’ll want to visit. It’s well worth the 45 minute trip from Phoenix. It is beautiful and so quaint and there is often live music. They serve great food and wine and have a gorgeous, relaxing patio complete with olive trees and twinkle lights (My advice: don’t skip the Blood Orange Olive Oil cupcake-just trust me on this one)!

If you’re not in Arizona right now, you can pretend! Pull up a chair, grab a glass of wine and settle in…

Now let’s talk about what to do with the bounty you will bring home from this fabulous place! Holly and I chose Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Strawberry Balsamic Reduction to create our first Queen Creek Inspired post. We had talked a lot about baking and spring and citrus and dreamy whipped cream…and that is how the Balsamic Strawberry Lemon Shortcake was born.

Turns out these ingredients invoke all of the feels in us!

This dessert has it all. A sweet lemon flavored shortcake. Tangy balsamic strawberries. And don’t forget the creamy strawberry balsamic whipped cream. Ah, the strawberry balsamic whipped cream-I will neither confirm nor deny whether I have eaten this directly with a spoon. And those of you who know me, know the answer to that!

Turns out that using olive oil for baking lends a great texture to the shortcakes! The lemon flavoring in the oil complements the lemon zest to give a soft lemon flavor. The Lemon Shortcakes can be eaten as a snack on their own (just ask my 6 year old who is constantly asking me to make these!). The Balsamic Strawberries would also be great served over ice cream or Angel Food Cake. And the Strawberry Balsamic Whipped Cream would be perfect eaten on top of just about anything.

This recipe is quick, easy, and makes enough to serve 4 so you probably won’t have to worry about storing any leftovers! Feel free to double this recipe or even triple it if you have friends coming over. They will thank you!

This is a flavorful take on the traditional shortcake, using Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Strawberry Balsamic Reduction from Queen Creek Olive Mill. One tip for making whipped cream- start with the bowl and whisk chilled. I always put my mixing bowl and the whisk attachment for my stand mixer in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before I get started.

Author: With Two Spoons

Recipe type: dessert

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

Shortcakes:

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar + more for garnish

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup buttermilk

¼ cup Queen Creek Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon lemon zest + more for garnish

Strawberries:

16 ounce carton of strawberries, sliced into bite sized pieces

1 Tablespoon Queen Creek Strawberry Balsamic Reduction

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

Strawberry Balsamic Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Queen Creek Strawberry Balsamic Reduction

Instructions

To make the Lemon Shortcakes:

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Add buttermilk, olive oil and lemon zest and stir to combine.

Split dough into 4 sections.

Form into thick circles.

Place circles on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Place them so that they are almost touching.

Start by placing mixing bowl and whisk into the freezer to cool (I use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer bowl and the whisk attachment for this).

Once equipment has been thoroughly chilled (at least 10 minutes), add cream, sugar and strawberry balsamic reduction to bowl and whisk on highest speed until peaks form, approximately 2-3 minutes.

To assemble dessert:

Place shortcake on bottom, heap with strawberries and top with whipped cream. Garnish with additional lemon zest.

If for some crazy reason you have leftovers (and you probably will not), the shortcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, and the balsamic strawberries can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The strawberry balsamic whipped cream should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used within 24 hours

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Do you absolutely, positively, have to have these specialty products? Well, of course not. You can always substitute plain olive oil for the shortcakes, plain balsamic reduction in the strawberries, and plain balsamic reduction in the whipped cream (or go without the balsamic entirely) but really…why would you want to?

And if you are interested in having products from Queen Creek shipped to you, check out their awesome on-line store!

Comments

You’ve sold me! Queen Creek Olive Mill looks like a terrific place and a place I’m sure inspires great recipe ideas, like this one for balsamic strawberry lemon shortcake! Lovely recipe. I wish I lived in Arizona 😉

First, and of course, this recipe looks amazing! Second, how cool is it that they have a mill you can visit. I would love to do something like that! I really love seeing how a product is made, it makes me appreciate it more. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

O. M. G. This looks and sounds SO delicious, and the olive mill is absolutely beautiful! Adding it to my list if I’m ever in the area – and I’ll def be trying this recipe this summer. Always looking for a new twist on an old favorite – another great thing to combine with strawberry shortcake is lime zest & sugar!

The Queen Creek Olive Mill is such a great place to visit! It’s interesting you mention lime zest and sugar (some of my favorite ingredients), the Olive Mill has a Mexican Lime Olive Oil that I bet would be a spectacular addition instead of the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil! Thanks for the idea-I’m going to have to try it!